Upper-air wind speeds are shown Feb. 8 as British Airways Flight 112 crossed the North Atlantic. A rip-roaring jet stream at more than 260 mph turbocharged the trans-Atlantic British Airways flight, which departed New York at 6:20 p.m. and landed in London at 4:43 a.m. Sunday, nearly two hours ahead of schedule. The jet stream is the zone of strong winds about 30,000 feet high in the atmosphere, along which storms track. Many commercial aircraft hitch a ride along the jet stream to give themselves a speed boost. Although the jet stream can help wintertime transatlantic flights have an especially speedy crossing, they are a leading cause of clear air turbulence.

Source: Washington Post February 10, 2020 00:38 UTC